05.03.04 The 2nd Sign of a Negative-Gossip Conversation
2. Discussions that Humiliate Others
A conversation constitutes ‘negative gossip’ if it dishonours, embarrasses, bullies, belittles or causes shame to the victim. This augurs with Proverbs 11:9 which says (CEV): 9Dishonest people use gossip to destroy their neighbors;...
Miriam and Aaron’s conversation against Moses signalled ‘negative gossip’ since the talk was humiliating, to say the least. See how Numbers 12:1-3 discloses the siblings’ discussion (CEV): 1-3… Miriam and Aaron started complaining, “Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia! Who does he think he is? The Lord has spoken to us, not just to him.”
An example of unsubstantiated and false gossip happened at JuaLink as well; where, after the ‘failed’ breakfast event, Lulu traversed offices proclaiming Faraja’s incompetence and that of the board members who gave her the job of publicity manager, when she could not even pull-off a simple breakfast campaign. Was Faraja really unqualified? Is it true the breakfast flopped when the business interactions continued as planned?
Therefore, when taking part in a conversation, check if it is humiliating anyone. What could be the motive of the gossiper? Do not be blinded, as was the case with Lulu's prayer partners who did not know that her statements were manipulatively designed to undermine the manager (Faraja), and therefore, did not hold water.
Be an attentive and discerning listener. Are there any splinters of demeaning speech about the people or entities being discussed? If so, there is a high probability that the discussion will convert into negative-gossip.